In 2016 I created my first Christmas gift guide post, so this is the 5th anniversary of the Carrots gift guide! Readers have requested a new guide each year and over time I've intentionally pivoted to including ONLY small businesses. This year we've all seen restaurants and storefronts close due to the pandemic. 2020 has hit small businesses so hard! This year more than ever it's clear that we … [Read more...]
Family-Friendly Movies for the 12 Days of Christmas on Netflix and Amazon Prime
Advent is here! One of the fun activities we wait on through Advent and save for the twelve days of Christmas is watching Christmas movies together. We have a few on DVD but we usually find favorites on streaming services, too. I found some great Christmasy options as well as movies that aren't technically Christmas films but have a wintry/holiday/cozy feel. This year some of our favorites aren't … [Read more...]
Liturgical Living at a Glance: Advent and Christmas December 2018
I’m always trying to figure out how to make it easier for families to observe the Christian Year because we felt so overwhelmed when we first started that journey (which is why we wrote the book we wish we had then). I thought it might be helpful for our family to have resources compiled for the month ahead so that we can plan in advance which special saints days we want to observe and I hope … [Read more...]
Carrots 2018 Gift Guide! (Featuring Small Catholic Businesses and Thoughts on Gift Giving)
UPDATED FOR CYBER MONDAY I hope you're snuggled up on the couch in your jammies today eating leftover pie and not fighting the crowds! We are recovering from a somewhat dramatic Thanksgiving Day. Part of it was absolutely lovely! We cooked yummy food and feasted with new friends. But our nine-year-old, Benjamin, had the worst asthma attack he's had since he was three years old. It was … [Read more...]
Liturgical Living at a Glance: December 2017
I’m always trying to figure out how to make it easier for families to observe the Christian Year because we felt so overwhelmed when we first started that journey (which is why we wrote the book we wish we had then). I thought it might be helpful for our family to have resources compiled for the month ahead so that we can plan in advance which special saints days we want to observe and I hope … [Read more...]
The 2017 Carrots Christmas Gift Guide (with Discount Codes)!
I usually don't even leave the couch on Black Friday. But this year we had brunch plans with my brother and his fiancee. So we brunched and we brunched well. But fighting the crowds for deals is the last thing I want to do between slices of leftover pie. So want to join me in finding some great deals from the couch? Great! I've collected coupon codes when possible well as some pretty great … [Read more...]
A Very Carrots Christmas Playlist
We're having a ball with family and friends in our hometown of Tallahassee, FL celebrating the holidays, but I wanted to stop in and give you a gift: a Christmas playlist I made! This year's Christmas playlist is pretty eclectic. I included some classic pop like Mariah Carey and then some classic classics like Ella Fitzgerald and Bing Crosby. And then I added a lot of haunting, beautiful more … [Read more...]
Liturgical Living at a Glance: December 2016
I’m always trying to figure out how to make it easier for families to observe the Christian Year because we felt so overwhelmed when we first started that journey (which is why we wrote the book we wish we had then). I thought it might be helpful for our family to have resources compiled for the month ahead so that we can plan in advance which special saints days we want to observe and I hope … [Read more...]
The 2016 Carrots Christmas Gift Guide (With Discount Codes Just for You!)
This morning it's rainy outside, I have pie hangover, and there's several hours of the new Gilmore Girls revival season waiting for me on Netflix. So obviously I'm going to continue my beloved tradition of not changing out of pajamas or going ANYWHERE on Black Friday. I have exactly zero desire to fight crowds for sales....ever. So want to join me in finding some great deals from the couch? … [Read more...]
The Incarnation and the Pietá
The Incarnation of Christ, celebrated in the liturgical season of Christmastide, takes on a richer significance for me with each passing year. The story of the Nativity is fuller–but undeniably stranger. It loses the saccharine quality of greeting cards and becomes complicated. Christmas becomes more intricately connected to Holy Week and I’m reminded that the miracle of the Incarnation isn’t … [Read more...]
